1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to land vehicles and also to brakes. The invention is specifically related to mechanically or hydraulically actuated brakes applicable to skate boards, roller skates and the like wherein a brake drum is not employed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Skate boards, roller skates, and other small wheel mounted devices have often not been supplied with brakes because the small wheel size prohibited the use of drum or disc brakes as have been developed for use on larger and heavier vehicles such as automobiles and bicycles. This state of affairs has presented a problem to beginners not yet proficient in the use of such vehicles, and in some cases experts have found that the scope of possible activity on such recreational devices was limited by the lack of a selective braking control.
At least in the skate board art there are known to be braking assemblies now available, some of which operate as automatic safety brakes that are applied when the rider dismounts from the board, intentionally or accidentially. Others are selectively applied by the rider, as by foot pressure on a lever or arm. All of the known devices operate by means of a friction applying member or pad that contacts the running surface of the wheels. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,003,582 to Maurer; 3,385,608 to Waddell; and 3,288,251 to Sakwa teach brakes of the types described. None of the noted devices are believed to be commercially available, but experiments with brakes applying friction to the periphery of the wheels have shown that braking is relatively weak, which may be because the contact area is quite small or because the running surface of the wheel can become coated with dirt, grease, or water, depending upon the condition of the surface where the vehicle is operated. The strength and reliability of braking are therefore addressed by the present invention, as will be better understood from the following description.